When chickens lose feathers, they have exposed skin that is susceptible to injury, disease and the elements. You should consider some specific factors to determine why your chickens are losing their feathers. While you can address some of the causes of feather loss at home, others may require you to seek the aid of a veterinarian to resolve the problem.
Nutrition
All chickens require proper nutrition. The right feed for chickens is determined by the age of the chicken and your purpose for raising them. For example, if you are raising your chickens to produce eggs, you will need a feed that is specifically formulated for egg production. If you have a flock of mature chickens, their dietary needs will be different from those of young chickens. Without proper nutrition, your chickens may begin to lose their feathers. To alleviate this problem, read the information on feed bags carefully to ensure that the feed is formulated for the age and purpose of your chickens, and feed them the correct amount according to the manufacturer's recommendations.
Molting
Molting is the loss of feathers on a chicken around the neck, back and breast. Molting is a natural process in which chickens stop laying eggs and shed some of their feathers during a break from producing. The molt period may last from a few weeks to a few months and generally occurs in the fall or winter months. Chickens that are exposed to fewer hours of daylight are more prone to molting. If your chicken molts, no action is required. If you want your chicken to continue to lay eggs in the fall or winter, providing artificial light in the chicken coup will stop molting from occurring.
Other Conditions
Chicken feather loss may be associated with stress or disease. Stress may occur with consistent exposure to cold or hot temperatures, lack of proper nutrition or aggression problems in the flock. Disease also may contribute to chickens losing their feathers. If you are able to eliminate proper nutrition, molting and stress as potential causes of feather loss, consult a veterinarian to determine if disease is responsible.
Other Chickens
If some of your chickens are regularly losing feathers, other chickens may be to blame. Chickens, like any other animal, can show signs of aggression. This may have several underlying causes, including a lack of proper nutrition, learned behavior or territorial behavior. If you can rule out improper nutrition as a potential cause of aggressive behavior, watch the chickens for several hours to determine if one or more of the chickens in the flock are plucking the feathers of the affected chickens. If this is the case, separate the aggressive chickens from the non-aggressive ones for a few days, or permanently, depending on your preference.
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